Tag: nature

I don’t always exercise in the morning as I sometime have driving commitments. When I do, I like to get out at dawn; I love the magnificence of the sunrise, the quiet of that time of day, and the drowsiness which curbs negative self-talk (read: too sleepy to mull over reasons why I shouldn’t hit the pavement). Continue reading “Guess who I met at the Singapore Botanic Gardens?”

Older Daughter & Loving Husband planted a handful of rosehip seeds which they harvested from a rosehip plant. This little guy was the only one who sprouted. Older Daughter checks on him every morning and evening, watering him carefully and tenderly. We are all waiting with her to see if more leaves will grow. Continue reading “Please grow!”

I enjoy running on city streets; yet sometimes I take running in Singapore for granted. After the recent trip to Bangkok and running with some difficulty there, and then waking up this morning to a serious haze (the PM2.5 Air Quality index on aqicn.org logged at 153 Unhealthy at 8am), I have come to appreciate the days when we can go out and run safely. Continue reading “Green is the City”

It was going to rain so it was overcast and cool; the air had that swollen feeling, like a watermelon ripe to burst; there was a eerie quiet despite traffic sounds in the distance. I could hear the birds sing with clarity, smell the pond, feel the brush of the wind. Everything was poised for something to happen …

As I sit at my usual window spot at Starbucks, I enjoy the airconditioning which makes an overcast & muggy day pleasant. As I daydream in the relative cool, I recall a message from my aunt in London that temperatures had climbed up to 18 degrees centigrade yesterday! Unseasonably hot for them.

While we had bemoaned the lack of snow while we were in London in December & January, it certainly wasn’t 18 degrees. And we did have a flurry morning, so we did get to enjoy some of the magic of winter. Continue reading “Glittering Grass”

At first glance, the side of this road lacks the considered greenery of the rest of Bukit Batok Nature Park, and does seem somewhat disordered, a riot of grass & shrubs. At closer look, it is apparently a playground to about half a dozen White-crested Laughing Thrush. I’ve seen many of them before in this Park, but never in such great numbers together.

They were fearless and allowed me to come fairly close to them. They were busily eating, hopping about & generally, having a merry time. Amidst the chaos of the fallen leaves and overgrown shrubs, I found delight. Continue reading “Unlikely Delights”

Singapore is a small island nation. High rise buildings of office blocks, shopping centres and housing projects crowd our skylines. And yet, it is not difficult to find a Nature Park fairly close to where one lives. Continue reading “Sanctuary in the City”